John MacDonald: Time to end the e-scooter free ride

A mate was telling me last night how surprised he was that he was breath-tested by the police yesterday afternoon.  

If he’d been riding an e-scooter, though, he would have been waived straight through.  

If he’d been riding an e-scooter he also wouldn’t have been drug-tested. He also wouldn’t have had to have the thing registered like any other vehicle.  

Which the AA is saying today is nuts and needs to change. Because even though the number of e-scooter injuries is going through the roof, e-scooter riders and e-scooter companies don't pay any ACC levies. And I agree with the AA.  

Because when a vehicle is registered, it enables all sorts of things. One of which, is to charge ACC levies.  

Which is way overdue for e-scooters, especially when you consider these new stats which show that ACC paid-out nearly $15 million for e-scooter injuries last year. Which was a 50% increase on the year before.  

The number of injuries were up across all age groups. Although, one-in-four people injured were in their 20s. About half of the claims were for soft-tissue injuries. More than 1-in-20 were for fractures and dislocations.  

People bang on all the time, don’t they, about people coming here from overseas and getting free ACC cover. The reason for that being that you can’t sue in this country and so we have to provide cover for people from overseas.  

But the exact same thing is happening with e-scooter riders. Because they don’t have to pay ACC levies, they’re getting free ACC cover.  

And if you don't like the fact that tourists get ACC for free, then you should be just as brassed-off about e-scooter companies and e-scooter riders getting the same.  

There have been numerous efforts over the years to have e-scooters recognised as vehicles. None have been successful.  

So the Automobile Association is trying again. Writing to the outgoing Transport Minister and the incoming Transport Minister, as well as the minister for ACC, telling them that the time has come for e-scooters to be registered.  

The particular point that the AA is making is that the number of privately-owned e-scooters has reached the point where these things are not novelties anymore.  

It’s not unusual for someone to own their own e-scooter and the laws need to catch up with that. They need to reflect that.  

And it’s not as if the people who do own their own e-scooters don’t recognise the dangers. Most of the time they’re dressed up like Darth Vadar, aren’t they?  

Full-face helmets and all of that. Plus, the protective clothing. And the speeds these things can get up to still blows me away.  

Then you get the muppets on the Lime scooters and all those other rental scooters, riding as if there's no tomorrow. The one thing I’ll say about the people who own their own e-scooters is at least they put some effort into keeping themselves safe with the helmets and all that.  

Another thing the AA wants to see is e-scooters being allowed in cycleways. It also wants e-scooter riders to be tested for alcohol and drugs. It wants them banned from using mobile phones, as well. 

The Government has said it’s “open to changes”. As it should be. In fact, it should more than open to them, it should be getting on with it.  

You’ll remember how, at the end of last year, motorcyclists were fired up about their ACC levies going up.  

Motorcycle Advocacy Group New Zealand was even going to the Human Rights Commission about it, because motorcyclists are facing an 80% in ACC levies over three years.  

And, at the time, I said if that’s what needs to happen —given that motorcyclists are at much greater risk and potentially more likely to need ACC cover— then why shouldn't they pay more cover?  

As far as I’m concerned, the same goes for e-scooter riders. And the e-scooter rental companies too.  

Because, like motorbikes and anything else on two wheels, they are inherently more dangerous than something on four wheels, and our transport laws need to recognise this. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Morning's Podcast with John McDonald
from newstalk z'b You.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Mate was telling me last night how surprised he was
that he was breath tested by the police on Barrington
Street yesterday afternoon. He was heading home and said said
to the cop, oh really apparently the cop said, you'd
be surprised. The big mistake is that he wasn't riding
an escooter, because if he'd been writing an escooter, he

(00:36):
would have been waved straight through. If he'd been riding
an escooter, he also wouldn't have been drug tested. He
also wouldn't have had to have the thing registered like
any other vehicle, which the AA or the Automobile Association
is saying today. They're saying that's nuts and it needs

(00:56):
to change because even though the number of escooter injuries
is going through the roof es, scooter riders and escooter
company don't pay any acc levees. And I agree with
the AA, it is absolutely nuts and it does need
to change because when a vehicle is regged registered, as

(01:17):
you'll know, it enables all sorts of things, one of
which is to charge acc levees, which is way overdue.
For eest scooters, especially when you consider these new stats
out today which show that ACC paid out nearly fifteen
million dollars for eestkirter injuries last year fifteen nearly fifteen million,

(01:37):
and that was a fifty percent increase on the year before,
and the number of injuries they are up across all
age groups. Although one in four people injured using an
est scooter were in their twenties, about half of the
claims were for soft tissue injuries and more than one
in twenty were for fractures and dislocations. And people that

(02:02):
they bang on all the time, don't they You might
be one of these people that bangs on about people
coming here from overseas and getting free ACC cover, and
you know the reason for that, of course, is that
we can't see in this country, and so we have
to provide cover for people from overseas. But the exact
same thing is happening with escooter riders because they don't

(02:25):
have to pay ACC levies. They're getting free ACC cover.
And if you don't like the fact that tourists get
it for free, then you should be just as brassed
off about ES scooter companies. An ES scooter riders getting
the same they've been well. There have been numerous efforts
over the years to try and have EAST scooters recognized
as vehicles some of them, some of them have even

(02:46):
gone to court, but none of them have gone anywhere.
None of them have been successful. So now the automobile
associations try and again. It's written to the outgoing Transport
Minister and the incoming Transport Minister and the Minister for
ECC and it's told them that the time has come
for eestquot to be registered. The particular point that the

(03:12):
AA's making is that the number of privately owned E
scooters has reached the point where these things aren't novelties anymore.
You know, it's not unusual as it for someone to
own their own es scooter, and the laws need to
catch up with that, they need to reflect that. And
it's not as if the people who do own their
own EAST scooters don't recognize the dangers. You can tell

(03:32):
that they know it's risky because most of the time
most of them are dressed up like Darth Vade or
aren't they, you know, fullfaced helmets. All of that, plus
the protective clothing and the speeds these things can get
up to it still blows me away. And then you
get the muppets on the Lime scooters and all those
other rental scooters, you know, racing as if there's no tomorrow.

(03:57):
The one thing I will say about the people who
own their own es scooters they is at least they
put some effort into keep themselves safe with the helmets
and the leathers and all of that. I saw one
privately owned East scooter in the center of town the
other night on the footpath, and it was going way
faster than any other vehicle. And that's another thing that
AA wants to see. It wants es scooters to be

(04:18):
allowed in cycle ways, although you know you already see
them in cycle ways, but technically the law doesn't allow it.
Yet what else does AA want. It also wants es
scoter riders to be tested for alcohol and drugs. It
wants some ban from using mobile phones as well. It's
all common sense stuff. So it's written to the ministers

(04:38):
pointing out the discrepancies and calling on them to play
catch up. And the government, to its credit, has said
quote it's open to changes, as it should be. In fact,
it should be more than open to them. It should
be getting on with it. You remember how at the
end of last year, remember this, motorcyclists were fired up
about their acc levees going up and we had the
Motorcycle Advocacy Group New Zealand going to the Human Rights

(05:02):
Commission about it. They were facing an eighty percent increase
in ACC levy over three years. And at the time
you might remember this, I said, if that's what needs
to happen, given that motorcyclists are a much greater risk
and potentially more likely to need ACC cover than that
that needs to happen, then go for it. They should
pay more cover. And as far as I'm concerned, the
same goes for es scooter riders and the East scooter

(05:25):
rental companies as well, because like motorbikes and anything else
on two wheels, they are inherently more dangerous to use
than something on four wheels, and our transport laws need
to recognize this. That's what the AA thinks, That's what
I think as well.

Speaker 1 (05:40):
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